Chennai: A majority of Indians, travelling during this monsoon, are planning to travel as couples, and families and solo travellers occupy the second and third position, respectively. Also, about 25% couples from Chennai and 18% from Bangalore are booking a short vacation to Puducherry, about 14% couples are travelling from Mumbai to Goa via train.
Port Blair, Shillong, Guwahati, Kodaikanal and Puducherry, which are ideal for an extended weekend getaway, are some of the most popular ‘couple’ destinations this monsoon. “Nearly 39% Indians, travelling during the monsoon, are planning to travel as couples, followed by 24% with family and 18% solo,” reveals Ixigo data. Couples are planning short-stays that extend to about three or four days.
Hotel searches for Goa show the maximum spike of 16 % from previous months, while Shillong and Guwahati follow with 11 % and 9 % spikes respectively. While about 25 % couples from Chennai and 18 % from Bangalore are booking a short vacation to Puducherry, about 14 % couples are travelling from Mumbai to Goa via train.
"Travel becomes far more affordable during the monsoon as it is a lean season in comparison to summer and winter. Major Indian airlines have announced their monsoon sales, offering big discounts on flights, reducing fares by almost 20 %," says Aloke Bajpai, Ixigo CEO & Co-founder.
Meanwhile, SOTC has witnessed an 18 % increase in customer enquiries for domestic and short haul destinations where customers preferred booking domestic group tours, short haul international GIT and budget category packages for Europe & USA, with the booking amount ranging from '1.25 lakh to '3 lakh per transactions due to enhanced online presence.
The online platform of SOTC Travel features packages for a clientele with a mix from millennial to senior citizens. SOTC's FIT packages for millennials cover destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and Mauritius. For senior citizens, SOTC online has religious domestic tour packages called 'Darshans' which are crafted spiritual experiences, along with special senior citizen packages for Europe/USA.
